Weather, absence of marquee players may turn dampener
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Kochi: It’s kickoff time for the state’s football fever with Kerala Blasters taking on NorthEast United in its first home match in the Indian Super League on Tuesday. Inclement weather and the absence of marquee players of both teams for the inaugural match could be a dampener for football enthusiasts, but the presence of Sachin Tendulkar and John Abraham, owners of the two teams, could electrify the galleries.
Kerala proved a match winner for the game in the last season by turning in the largest crowds, match after match. ISL data shows that the fan turnout averaged 47,000, about 4,000 more than those who visited the stadia in Kolkata, the Mecca of Indian football.
Two matches had a crowd of 60,000 and above, one of the highest turnouts in a match.
That the Kerala team had a bad start did not stop the fans from flocking to the matches last time; perhaps it was the fan steam
that helped the team chug along till the finals, in which they lost to the Kolkata team.
Though Malabar is known for its ardent football fans, the crowds turned up from all over the state for the ISL matches, showing the verve ISL has created for the game in the state which was once a favourite resource pool for the national team selectors.
Kochi will host seven home matches for Kerala Blasters, starting from October 6. The last of the home matches will be on November 20 against Goa FC. And if the fans are lucky with their team making it into the semis, the city will also host a home match in the semifinal too.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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